Integral hair clip made from a single sheet of resilient material



Sept 7, 1965 J. DEKEL 3,204,647

INTEGRAL HAIR CLIP MADE FROM A SINGLE SHEET OF RESILIENT MATERIAL Filed July 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 15

INVENTOR. 62 5%? BY JOSEPH DEKEL 6* H1O 1am m. '16 Fun? Sept. 7, 1965 Filed July 27, 1961 J. DE INTEGRAL HAIR CLIP MADE FROM A SINGLE SHEET OF RESILIENT MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JO'aEPH DEKEL iZ/ "W United States Patent 3 204 647 INTEGRAL HAIR CLIP MADE FRGM A SEJGLE SHEET 6) RES ILIEN'I MATERIAL Joseph Dekel, dill E. 32nd St., Chicago, Ill. Filed July '27, 1961, Ser. No. 127,324 4 Claims. (Cl. 132-46) This invention relates to an improved clip having as one of its most important applications the holding of pin curls in place while the curls are setting. Pin curls comprise small, round, fiat curls which may be wound either clockwise or counterclockwise in direction, and whichgenerally lie close to the scalp. It is important to provide satisfactory clips which will hold the pin curls in a desired fashion during the setting and drying thereof.

Many designs of hair clips are available, but these designs are generally considered unsatisfactory for the reason that they are expensive and unduly susceptible to deformation during use. Thus, the present designs do not provide an economic clip which will maintain its resiliency for an indefinite period and which will hold curls in place for a desired period of time.

A further disadvantage of most of the present day clips is that they are provided in two pieces constructions which, due to the small size of the clip, require expensive assembly operations. Such constructions are, in addition to their expense, much more susceptible to breakage durlng use.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved clip useful, for example, as a pin curl clip which will overcome the disadvantages of similar prior art constructions.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a clip construction which is economical in its manufacture and which is efiicient in that it is not susceptible to loss of resiliency during use.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved clip of a single piece construction which does not require expensive assembly operations and which is not prone to breakage during use.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter, and for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, specific embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved hair clip embodying the characteristics of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of a hair clip of the type shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a blank suitable for the production of clips of the type shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a detail view of a blank of the type shown in FIGURE 3 after a bending operation;

FIGURE 5 is a detail plan view of a clip having serrated fingers suitable for use in the disclosed constructions;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view taken about the line 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a modified blank design for a hair clip embodying the inventive features;

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of the blank of FIG- URE 7 after performance of the bending and folding operations;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of a completed hair clip of the type shown in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a side elevation of a hair clip with corrugated fingers and also having fastening means integrated therewith;

FIGURE 11 is a plan View of a clip of the type shown in FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a detail illustration in section of the integrated fastening means shown in FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 13 is a plan view of an additional alternative blank embodying the inventive characteristics;

FIGURE 14 is a plan view of a still further alternative blank;

FIGURE 15 is a plan view of another alternative blank;

FIGURE 16 is a detail side elevation of the blank of FIGURE 14 after completion of the bending and folding operations;

FIGURE 17 is a detail plan view of the completed clip of FIGURE 16;

FIGURE 18 is a detail plan view of a blank of the type shown in FIGURE 15 after completion of the bending and folding operations; and

FIGURE 19 is a side elevation of a blank of the type shown in FIGURE 15.

The present invention may be generally described as including a single piece construction having a pair of spaced apart jaw fingers formed in the opposite ends thereof. The clip includes a tongue portion and a spring arm portion formed in the body thereof whereby folding of the construction about its center portion will cause said jaw fingers to be normally held in resilient engagement. The tongue portion is adapted for positioning outside the plane of the folded construction to provide a means for opening the jaw fingers with finger tip pressure.

The constructions are generally designed in a manner such that the tongue portion will engage a section of the folded blank thus providing a fulcrum-like arrangement whereby there is provided a means for pivoting the sections of the construction with respect to each other. With the pivoting of the sections, the jaw' fingers will be forced apart in opposition to the normal action of the spring arms.

As will be apparent when considering the specific embodiments of the clips of this invention, the spring arms and the tongue for effecting pivoting of the fingers in opposition to the spring arms are all provided from an easily manufactured one piece blank. After the blanks are bent, crimped and folded into the configurations to be hereinafter described, a clip is provided which will achieve the foregoing objects.

Certain of the various modifications possible are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. FIGURES 1 through 4 illustrate a hair clip 10 composed of an upper section 12 and a lower section 14, each of which is provided with a pair of spaced apart jaw fingers 16. The upper section is provided with a crimp at 21, beyond which there are formed a pair of spring arms 18. The section 12 extends between the arms 18 and then is bent upwardly to provide a pressure tongue 20. FIG- URE 3 illustrates the blank 22 which is employed in manufacturing the clip 10. The blank may be formed by stamping the illustrated configuration from a suitable spring material, preferably spring steel. The cut out portion in the section 12 of the blank will provide the tongue 20 and spring arms 18 when bending, crimping and folding of the blank is completed. Compression of the blank during the working operations will result in resilient engagement of the fingers occasioned by the spring arms and will also permit opening of the fingers by means of the tongue 20. It will be noted that the section 14- is crirnped at 24 to provide a portion 26, the crimp in the tongue 20 engages the portion 26 and, as indicated by the dotted lines in FIGURE 2, a fulcrum condition is thus provided.

The clip fragments shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 include fingers 16 which have formed therein serrations 28. Thus, a more secure grip of a curl can be made possible.

FIGURES 7 through 9 illustrate an embodiment wherein a clip 30 is provided with a center portion 32 which is wider than the jaw finger portions of the clip. Such a construction permits larger spring arms 34 resulting in greater pressure exertion and further permits formation of a wider tongue 36, thus providing greater area for the application of finger tip pressure. As in the previous ca es, a crimp 38 in the lower section 40 of the clip 36 provides for a fulcrum-like engagement at 42 whereby opening of the fingers in opposition to the pressure of the spring arms 34 may be accomplished.

It will be noted that the spring arms 34 are formed to are over the plane of the clip in the working operation. This construction provides an ideal positive pressure engagement and decreases the chances of the fingers losing their resilient character during use.

In FIGURES 10 through 13 there is illustrated a clip 42 having corrugations 44 formed in the fingers 45. Such corrugations will aid in securing the clips and it will be understood that these corrugations and the serrations previously described can be employed in any of the disclosed embodiments and on any number of the jaw fingers desired.

The clip 42 further includes means integrated into the construction for engaging the upper and lower sections 46 and 48. These means include openings 50 formed in the section 46 and tabs 52 formed in the section 48. The tabs are adapted to be fit into the openings 50 and bent over to secure these sections with respect to each other. It will be understood that this tab construction can be employed in any of the various modifications, but it will further be understood that this construction is not necessary in order to provide the necessary resilient engagement. The forming operations which transform the blanks of this invention into the novel clips provide a sufficient amount of resilient engagement for efficient use of the clips.

FIGURE 14 illustrates a further modified concept wherein a blank 54 is slit along the lines 56 and 58 and then formed as shown in FIGURES 16 and 17. In considering the completed clip, it will be apparent that a pair of tongues 60 are provided on both sides of a single spring arm 62. A crimp 64 in the lower section 65 provides for fulcrum engagement with respect to the tongues 69 and, as in the previous cases, opening of the fingers is accomplished by pressing the tongues in opposition to the spring arm 62.

A still further modification is illustrated in FIGURES 15, 18 and 19. The blank 66 shown therein is slit along the lines 68 and 70 and is also provided with an opening 72. After the blank has been formed as illustrated in FIGURES 18 and 19, a pair of tongues 74 are provided on the lower section 76, and a single spring arm 78 is also provided on the lower section 76 but is formed to arc through the opening 72 in the upper section 80. In this embodiment, finger pressure on the end 82 of the section and on the tongues 74 will enable opening of the jaw fingers in opposition to the pressure of spring arm '78.

Constructions of the type disclosed represent clips which are ideal for achieving the aforementioned objects. Applicant has undertaken to disclose various modifications of the specific clips which will serve as specific embodiments. However, it will be understood that various other modifications may be made in the above described clips which provide the characteristics of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, particularly as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A clip comprising a single piece blank folded over at its center portion to provide confronting upper and lower sections having respective work-engaging jaws at the resulting free ends thereof and handle-forming portions at the folded center portion thereof, said handle-forming portions comprising separate tongue means and spring arm means formed in said sections adjacent the folded end thereof, said tongue means being struck from and being a straight-on continuation of one of the said sections, said tongue means being bent outwardly at a point along the le th thereof from the plane of said sections at an angle substantially less than degrees and extending toward the folded end of said sections where aid tongue means,

is unconnected to either of said section of the clip and forms a handle for opening the jaws 'of'theclip, the inner portion of said tongue means makingcontact with -the other section of the clip and forming a fuicrum'therewith for pivoting the sections of the clip to separate the workengaging jaws, said spring arms means being formed by outwardly spaced portions of the folded over; portions of the clip and extending to, and being in normal spaced relation to, said tongue means at the folded end of said sections to form handle means opposite the tongue means, wherein the spring arm means and the tongue means are compressible toward one another to open the clip, the spring arm means resisting the separation of said workengaging jaws.

The clip of claim 1 wherein said spaced portions of said sections of the clip each comprises a pair of laterally spaced sections forming a slot between which said tongue means is located.

3. The clip of claim 2 wherein said tongue means comprises a pair of laterally spaced projecting portions between which said spring arm means is located.

4. The clip of claim 1 wherein said spring arm means includes an arm extending in a wide are extending far above the plane of one of the clip sections.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 719,462 2/03 Gysling 132-46 2,417,335 3/47 Westby 132-48 2,558,225 6/51 Solomon 132-46 2,622,604 12/52 Buckner 132-46 2,659,378 11/53 Caserta 132-46 2,838,056 6/58 Kertesz 132-48 2,849,008 8/58 Otten 132-48 3,025,581 3/62 Duell 24-259 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Examiner. 

1. A CLIP COMPRISING A SINGLE PIECE BLANK FOLDED OVER AT ITS CENTER PORTION TO PROVIDE CONFRONTING UPPER AND LOWER SECTIONS HAVING RESPECTIVE WORK-ENGAGING JAWS AT THE RESULTING FREE ENDS THEREOF AND HANDLE-FORMING PORTIONS AT THE FOLDED CENTER PORTION THEREOF, SAID HANDLE-FORMING PORTIONS COMPISING SEPARATE TONGUE MEANS AND SPRING ARM MEANS FORMED IN SAID SECTIONS ADJACENT THE FOLDED END THEREOF, SAID TONGUE MEANS BEING SFTRUCK FROM AND BEING A STRAIGHT-ON CONTUNUATION OF ONE OF THE SAID SECTIONS, SAID TONGUE MEANS BEING BENT OUTWARDLY AT A POINT ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF FROM THE PLANE OF SAID SECTIONS AT AN ANGLE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN 90 DEGRESS AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE FOLDED END OF SAID SECTIONS WHERE SAID TONGUE MEANS IS UNCONNECTED TO EITHER OF SAID SECTIONS OF THE CLIP AND FORMS A HANDLE FOR OPENING THE JAWS OF THE CLIP, THE INNER PORTION OF SAID TONGUE MEANS MAKING CONTACT WITH THE OTHER SECTION OF THE CLIP AND FORMING A FULCURM THEREWITH FOR PIVOTING THE SECTIONS OF THE CLIP TO SEPARATE THE WORKENGAGING JAWS, SAID SPRING ARMS MEANS BEING FORMED BY OUTWARDLY SPACED PORTIONS OF THE FOLDED END OF SAID OF THE CLIP AND EXTENDING TO, AND BEING IN NORMAL SPACED RELATION TO, SAID TONGUE MEANS AT THE FOLDED END OF SAID SECTIONS TO FORM HANDLE MEANS OPPOSITE THE TONGUE MEANS, WHEREIN THE SPRING ARM MEANS AND THE TONGUE MEANS ARE COMPRESSIBLE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER TO OPEN THE CLIP, THE SPRING ARM MEANS RESISTING THE SEPARATION OF SAID WORKENGAGING JAWS. 